Six years had passed since Long Tianyu's first cry echoed in that simple village home.
The seasons rolled by in quiet rhythm. The crops in the fields ripened and fell, winters came and went, and the boy who once curled helplessly in the womb now stood steady on his own feet. His golden-haired mother still worked tirelessly, but her cheeks carried a healthier glow than before. And Tianyu… he was no ordinary child.
He sat cross-legged on a flat stone behind the small house, eyes half-closed. Morning sunlight spilled over him, warm but not burning, brushing against the tiny figure like it was reluctant to disturb his calm. His chest rose and fell in a rhythm too steady for a boy his age, each breath drawing in faint motes of light from the air.
Six years already… and I've grown used to this world.
His inner voice was calm, carrying the quietness of someone much older than six. The childish roundness of his face did not match the sharp focus in his amber eyes when they opened.
This was no ordinary village. And this was no ordinary world.
Douluo Dalu.
He had suspected it at first—the villagers' talk of martial souls, the way elders described awakening ceremonies, and the whispers about spirit beasts in the nearby forest. Over the years, after listening carefully and piecing details together, he confirmed it.
He had been reborn in a world of martial souls. A place where spirit rings defined one's future. Where fate was cruel to the weak.
Tianyu pulled up his system panel.
[Assistant System Panel]
Name: Long Tianyu
Age: 6
Bloodline: Innate Body— A naturally pure vessel harmonized with heaven and earth. Body refines energy with minimal resistance. Provides increased cultivation foundation and growth potential.
Talent: Heavenly Comprehension — Limitless insight into all concepts, techniques, and laws. Refinement and understanding beyond natural limits.
Skills:
Innate Breathing (Upgraded from Fetal Innate Breathing): Rhythmic absorption of ambient spirit energy. Improves physical and spiritual growth naturally. Infinite potential for refinement.
Cooking God: Understanding of ingredients, fire, and essence. Cooking enhances vitality, strengthens body, and restores spirit. Effect scales with skill.
Medical God (Upgraded from Spiritual Scan): Perceives bodies, meridians, and energy flows down to minute details. Allows self-repair, diagnosis, and treatment of others. Comprehension may create new techniques.
Martial Soul: ??? (Not awakened)
The golden words glowed before fading back into nothing.
Not bad for six years without even awakening a martial soul.
He stood, brushing off dust from his knees, and walked toward the house. The door creaked softly when he pushed it open.
The scent of fresh porridge greeted him. His mother stood by the clay stove, stirring a pot with practiced motions. Her long golden hair was tied back loosely, her ruby eyes softened by the steam rising around her.
"Up already, Tianyu?" she asked, smiling. "You never sleep in like the other children."
He gave a small nod, lips curling faintly. Sleep is a luxury. Cultivation is better.
But aloud, he only said, "I was hungry, Mother."
She chuckled softly. "You're always hungry."
Tianyu walked over and helped arrange the bowls on the rough wooden table. His hands were small, but his movements were careful and steady. The porridge his mother cooked was simple, but when Tianyu added his touch, it became something else entirely.
While his mother's back was turned, he sprinkled in herbs he had secretly gathered from the edges of the fields. Adjusting the fire with precise control, he stirred in a way that preserved the essence of the grains.
Cooking God… it sounds ridiculous, but it works. Even this porridge can nourish spirit power if I prepare it properly.
He ladled the porridge into bowls and set one before his mother. She sighed softly after her first spoonful, shoulders relaxing.
"Mm… it's strange. Whenever you help, the food tastes better, and I feel less tired."
Tianyu smiled faintly. It's not strange, Mother. It's my skill. My way of taking care of you.
After they ate, his mother went about her chores—washing clothes by the river, repairing tears in old clothes, sweeping their small home. Tianyu followed, quietly helping. When she bent down to scrub, he fetched water. When she folded clothes, he stacked them neatly.
Sometimes she would ruffle his hair and laugh. "Such a serious little boy. You'll make a fine man someday."
But Tianyu only lowered his eyes, hiding the weight of his thoughts. I'll become strong because I must. For you.
His Medical God skill had already revealed her martial soul years ago. Paper. Thin, fragile, useless in combat. She never spoke of it, but Tianyu could see the faint disappointment in her whenever other villagers boasted about their spirits.
Paper… no attack, no defense, no future. The world calls it trash.
Yet she worked tirelessly, raising him alone. His father's martial soul? A blank. His mother never spoke of it, and when Tianyu pressed her gently, her smile would falter before she changed the subject.
Father… what kind of man were you? What spirit did you carry?
He didn't know.
The sun began to dip by late afternoon, and children's laughter filled the village square. They played tag, chased each other with sticks, and called for Tianyu to join.
"Come on, Tianyu!" one boy shouted. "Don't be so boring!"
He gave a faint smile and shook his head. "Maybe next time."
They can play. I don't have that luxury.
Instead, he returned to his stone seat behind the house, sitting cross-legged again. His breathing calmed. Spirit particles drifted, drawn to him. His body was still young, but each cycle strengthened him in ways no other child could imagine.
The night deepened. Villagers put out their lamps. The crackle of firewood faded. Only the stars remained above.
Tianyu shifted his breathing, guiding the flow differently. The energy sank deeper, into blood, into bone. His small frame trembled as a sharp ache spread through his muscles.
Endure it.
Slowly, the ache dulled into warmth. His body felt heavier, but also steadier.
Yet in that moment, memories from another life resurfaced in perfect clarity. Pages of manga, scenes from anime, words from cultivation novels.
The Six Powers of One Piece… the Eight Gates of Naruto… Dragon Ball's Ki training… the body-tempering paths of Chinese cultivation.
Some were fantasy, some crude theories, but under Heavenly Comprehension they no longer seemed separate. They clicked together like pieces of a puzzle.
His breathing deepened further. His perception traced along his meridians, into his blood, through his fragile bones still soft with youth.
What if I fuse them?
A breathing method that not only draws energy, but tempers the body with each cycle.
The thought clicked. Inspiration surged, clear and steady.
A faint chime rang in his mind.
[Ding!]New Skill Created – Body Tempering Foundation— A method that uses spirit energy to strengthen flesh, blood, and bone in harmony with breathing. Incomplete, but stable.
He opened his eyes. Sweat dampened his forehead, but his breathing was calm. He flexed his small fingers. They looked unchanged, but he could feel it—something subtle, a faint steadiness inside.
This will work. If I keep refining it, it'll grow with me.
Exhaling lightly, he loosened his posture. His body was tired, his spirit slightly strained, but his heart was calm.
That was enough for tonight.
Tianyu stood, brushed the dust from his clothes, and glanced toward the small house where his mother was already asleep. Warm light glowed faintly from the cracks in the shutters.
He stepped inside quietly, careful not to wake her. Lying down on his mat, he let his breathing return to its natural rhythm.
Within moments, his eyes closed.
The night passed without a word, quiet and calm.